Inside Europe: The inside take on European affairs 22.07.2010
July 31, 2010

On today's programme: A breakthrough in the battle against HIV/AIDS? - The Czech government goes easy on drugs - A tragic death fuels debate on civil courage in Germany - Is time running out to resolve the division of Cyprus? A song and dance at Auschwitz causes controversy - Why are Israelis flocking to Berlin? - The Turkish government targets raunchy soap operas - Germans party on the autobahn. New vaginal gel to combat the spread of HIVIt's being described as a landmark in the 29 year battle against HIV/AIDS. And its trial results were presented this week at the ...

On today's programme: A breakthrough in the battle against HIV/AIDS? - The Czech government goes easy on drugs - A tragic death fuels debate on civil courage in Germany - Is time running out to resolve the division of Cyprus? A song and dance at Auschwitz causes controversy - Why are Israelis flocking to Berlin? - The Turkish government targets raunchy soap operas - Germans party on the autobahn. New vaginal gel to combat the spread of HIVIt's being described as a landmark in the 29 year battle against HIV/AIDS. And its trial results were presented this week at the world AIDS conference in Vienna.It's a vaginal gel which has been developed by scientists in South Africa. The gel is still being tested, but it could be a powerful weapon against the spread of HIV. Dr Bernhard Schwartlander is the Director of the Evidence, Strategy and Results Department at UNAIDS. Helen Seeney asked him how significant this breakthrough really is.The Czech government goes easy on drugsThe Czech Republic now has some of the clearest and most liberal drugs legislation in Europe. The country also produces most of the continent's methamphetamine – the highly dangerous drug commonly known as crystal meth, which is either snorted or injected.
But conversely, the country's HIV/AIDS rates are among the lowest in Europe, and of the 157 new HIV cases recorded last year, just four were intravenous drug users. Rob Cameron reports from Prague. Germans debate the perils and merits of civil courageTwo German teenagers have admitted that they beat a 50-year-old man to death after he tried to protect a group of children from them. The teenagers are on trial accused of murdering Dominik Brunner last year.Brunner's death shocked Germany and he's been mourned as a fallen hero. And his killing has also sparked debate over civil courage as we hear from Neale Lytollis in Berlin. Basking in Norway's midnight sunIt's turning out to be a hot summer here in Europe and people are taking advantage of the good weather to enjoy the long days and the great outdoors. But the term "long days" takes on a whole new meaning in Europe's sparsely populated far north- in the Arctic Circle the sun doesn't actually dip below the horizon for weeks on end.And that can make your traditional summer experience somewhat unusual. Mark Tamhane has this postcard from Tromso in northern Norway on some midnight sun madness. How to break the Cyprus deadlock?On Cyprus, the Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu has called for a peace deal on the partitioned island before the end of the year. Cyprus has been divided since Turkey invaded its northern part exactly 36 years ago this week.Mr Eroglu fears that if a deal isn't reached soon, the last chance for a settlement with the Greek Cypriots could slip away. Both sides have been locked in UN sponsored talks for almost two years, with little headway to show for it. Nathan Morely has more from Nicosia.A song and dance at Auschwitz causes controversyA video posted on Youtube by an Australian Jew is continuing to cause controversy. It shows 89-year-old Holocaust survivor Adolek Kohn, his daughter and grandchildren dancing outside of Auschwitz and other Holocaust sites to the music of Gloria Gaynor's hit "I Will Survive".Critics have slammed the video as tasteless. The family says its shows the victory of life over murder. The video received more than half a million clicks before it was removed from Youtube last week for copyright reasons. It's since reappeared on the site. It was Adolek Kohn's daughter Jane Korman who directed the video. Helen Seeney asked her if she'd expected the video to cause such a stir when she produced it.Young Israelis are flocking to BerlinIn Germany, the Central Council of Jews marked its 60th anniversary this week. It was set up to promote and foster religious and cultural activities within local Jewish communities. And it provides a platform for the common political interests of the Jewish community as a whole.Over the past few decades, Germany's Jewish population has been steadily growing. In fact Berlin now has the fastest growing Jewish community in the world. Many are young Israelis who seem to have shaken off the burden of Germany's Nazi past. Jane Paulick has been finding out more in Berlin.Will the Turkish government put a stop to raunchy soap operas?It seems the Turks are well and truly addicted to TV soaps - there are over 60 currently being broadcast. And the sexier the better, apparently. Adultery was a prominent theme of the most popular soap, called Forbidden Love. And when its finale was recently broadcast, members of parliament left the debating chamber to watch it.But not everyone in Turkey finds these soaps obligatory viewing. The government, for example, is promising to bring soaps and their storeylines under control. Dorian Jones has more from Istanbul.Germans party on the autobahnGermany is famous for its autobahns and normally they're teeming with sleek cars going at breakneck speeds. But last weekend, cars and trucks were banned from the country's busiest stretch of tarmac.Instead pedestrians and cyclists took to the 60 kilometres between Duisburg and Dortmund to celebrate culture. The event was part of this year's festivities to mark the Ruhr region's role of European Culture Capital. Neil King has the details.